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The frigid wind light nips at Riki’s pale skin as he stands on the path that leads down to the forest. Gray clouds are scattered around the background of the light blue sky as the frail trees shake under the wind's forces. The weather is actually quite nice for fall. It feels like the one somewhat normal thing about this place.
Riki does not know what it is about his new school but there’s something he can’t quite place about it. The large, castle-like structure certainly isn’t hidden : the tall peaked roofs completely tiled in gray slats almost kiss the sky. The grand wrought iron gates and high cobblestone walls stand at attention and guard the very ways into the school yet there’s something Riki doesn’t get about this place.
He’s met some good people : his roommate Taki and one of his classmates, Kai being two of them. Yet there’s this strange air of mystery to the school and by extension its students. Riki’s sure the other people can say he’s weird— finding him out of place in a sea of people who seem to slot so perfectly into their assigned place at this school yet he just isn’t one.
Riki can’t tell you why he finds this school and its student body so weird at all. The students are normal and like any other : there are kind ones and not-so kind ones. The students who actually study diligently and try their best to cause no trouble yet may fall into some here and there and the ones who seem to seek it out.
There’s a certain six boys who are undoubtedly the most attractive people Riki has ever seen in his life that make his heart flutter whenever they smile at him even though he hasn’t known them long at all— but even they have this strange aura to them, like something lies deep beneath the surface of their warm and welcoming personalities that they don’t want Riki to fall into.
Riki never had trouble fitting in at his middle school and the high school he attended back in Japan yet this institution— Acacia Academy, an overwhelming campus in the large, open countryside in South Korea seems to challenge him.
Not necessarily in terms of fitting in but the very school itself seems to be challenging him, ever since he set foot there’s this deep whisper inside of the school telling him that he doesn’t entirely belong even though Riki certainly doesn’t hate it there and no one in the school has told him he doesn’t.
The school’s grounds feel like Riki’s swimming on the very surface of the ocean yet he can’t go any deeper no matter how much he wants to. Going deeper means an unfathomable pressure on his skull and very body until he physically cannot take it and he cracks and crumbles all before he can reach what lies deep beneath. He knows that he would not be able to make it, so he stays on the surface.
Yet Riki’s curiosity just every so often makes him dip his head under the surface and go a little deeper into the dark and insurmountable waters allowing him to catch a brief glimpse of whatever lies beneath before he is forced back up for air.
Riki sighs as he adjusts his camera around his neck, this school really has his brain in overdrive for reasons that aren’t even his academics. Speaking of academics— he should stop staring up at the large glass panes of the school’s windows built into its old burnt red stone walls. He has pictures to take for his art class after all.
Riki pushes himself off of the wall he was leaning against at the back doors of the school and steps out onto the crisp, yellowing grass of the school’s lawn which leads towards the forest located behind it.
The area is far from off limits but it too has an unwelcoming feeling at this time. It’s also public grounds, civilians from the town nearby only seem to come here on occasion but students are very commonly in this area whether it be for more nefarious activities or them simply taking a walk and reprieving themselves from the stresses of the world by stepping out into nature.
It’s unusually bare of anyone for a day only a few weeks into the first semester when the fall weather isn’t even terribly unbearable. The sun is partially covered by the clouds in the sky and the dense trees in this area also cover it somewhat but it still peeks through the bare branches that have begun to lose their leaves.
The beautiful oranges and reds scattered across the forest floor like a vibrant carpet are beautiful yet Riki also has to watch his step as they cover some of the thick roots and large stones that take up residence on the forest floor. He reaches a spot where he really likes the scenery, a tiny stream of water with a source that he cannot pinpoint cascades over the roots of a tree and the colorful leaves into its own minuscule pond.
Riki can’t help but snap a picture, loving the shot as to his luck the smallest beam of sunlight hits the water and reflects off of it.
He’s silently appreciative of the forest being quiet and devoid of people as it allows him to work quickly and in peace. He gets unobstructed views of the forest in every shot and it allows him to take his time in taking every one. Of course he doesn’t plan on staying in the very quiet forest alone for too long as that sounds like a way to get killed by some lurking stalker or mythical creature from his nightmares but he’s not in the biggest rush.
Riki hears the small snap of a twig somewhere behind him and he startles— the sound a jolting surprise in the quiet forest that was only truly filled with the sound of distant birds. The boy whips around yet all he sees is a small gray rabbit ; the animal facing away from him as it pauses in its place.
Riki quietly coos to himself at the sight of the adorable creature as animals are something he has always had a soft spot for and definitely always will. He noiselessly crouches on and inches just a slight bit closer before bring his camera to his face again and looking into the viewfinder, zooming in on the fluffy ball of gray against a sea of orange, red and yellow hues and so perfectly framed by the lichenous trees around it and he takes the shot.
His timing is impeccable as the small creature turns and faces him completely, only briefly cocking its head at the tall boy in front of it before hopping off into another direction and escaping Riki’s sight.
Riki chuckles as he lowers his camera and adjusts the strap around his neck.
“Bye, bye bunny.” He calls quietly after his short-lived furry friend.
Riki stands up and turns around, and he spots something in the distance. There’s a tall and large tree, looking well aged just a few feet away. It miraculously has three white lilies springing from its trunks— the blooms looking incredibly healthy for this time of year.
Riki raises his camera again, more than willing to get one last shot of what he can almost describe as a miracle of autumn. He steps a little closer, moving his position to get a clearer shot and he raises his camera. Riki looks through the viewfinder and he zooms in, expertly adjusting his lens to focus as he snaps a shot.
He shifts the camera to get a slightly different angle, this one capturing just a little bit of the surrounding trees as well and he freezes.
A dark figure that he can’t make out stares straight into his lens with icy gray eyes before it slinks behind a tree, right out of sight. Riki’s blood runs cold as he knows he saw that and it wasn’t an animal or anything of the sort but a person.
Riki has no idea why a person would be out in these woods and so deliberately hide from him after Riki saw him through the lens of his camera and he certainly does not want to stick around to know. He knows that he’s possibly being paranoid but Riki does not want to risk being in any sort of danger yet he knows that running could possibly put him in more as it would let that person know he saw him and god forbid they have bad intentions.
Riki just backs up, keeping his eye on that tree for only a second before turning on his heel and hurrying back the way that he came. He internally curses himself for coming notably deep into the forest even though he isn’t that far from the school at all.
The path is quiet as Riki’s ears are now hyper aware of every sound. The only footsteps he thankfully hears are his own and he feels like he was just being a little extra paranoid. There’s still this unsettled feeling on his skin yet he feels like his blood hasn’t frozen in his veins like when he first saw the figure.
He feels somewhat alright as he grows closer to the school but suddenly he hears crackling behind him and the sound of rapid footsteps coming towards him and Riki runs.
His blood thunders in his ears as his heart sinks as he bolts through the trees, his feet slamming on the ground as he nearly loses his footing and trips over several overgrown tree roots in his dash towards safety. Riki’s pursuer only seems to grow closer though and he runs impossibly faster, his lungs burning as his legs ache with every movement.
He’s fucking terrified and then his world suddenly turns upside down, literally.
Something snaps around Riki’s foot and his body slams into the trunk of an old tree as he’s hoisted into the air, the ground whisked away from him as he’s suspended above it as all his blood rushes to his brain. His camera clatters to the ground at the base of the tree and Riki lets out a yell.
There are never any traps in the forest as they certainly aren’t allowed to be in here yet he’s fucking trapped in one as someone is running after— Riki realizes through his panicked mind that the footsteps stopped and that terrifies him more than if he still heard them.
He whips his head around looking for any sign of life but he finds none. Riki wriggles his foot around to try and get it out of the trap but it's no use as the rope is wrapped tightly around his ankle. His only hope would be swinging himself back and forth to get the rope to snap from the friction against the rough bark or trying to lift his upper body up to meet his legs in the hope he can untie the rope wrapped around his leg and he has no idea which one would be faster when some crazy random person is chasing after him in the forest.
Riki’s brain finally clicks and remembers his keys in his pocket and more importantly the pocket knife he keeps on them. He digs into his jeans pocket and manages to fish his key ring out— he flips the small but sharp knife up and firmly holds it in his hand.
Riki desperately lifts his upper body up as best he can, trying to reach the rope around his leg and missing. He grows increasingly more desperate as he tries again yet still falls short. Riki sighs as he hangs there upside down, his head spinning from all of his blood rushing there and his heart hammering in his chest.
He draws in a deep breath before he swings up one last time and is able to capture the rope in one hand and he brings his other to it. Riki saws at it with his knife, thanking every god imaginable as the rope begins to snap all before it finally does.
“Ah!” Riki yells as he crashes to the ground, his back smacking hard on the forest floor and winding him as his head spins from the impact. Yet Riki doesn’t have time to dwell on the pain as his real focus is getting the hell out of there.
He begins to force himself to his feet, mentally noting that he will book it back to the school and come back for his camera another time. Riki begins running again, his feet pounding against the floor all before a body slams into him and takes him to the ground, his knife falling from his hand in the process.
Riki screams as the figure wrestles with him, gripping his wrists and trying to pin him down. He’s thrashing so wildly that he cannot even see the face of his assailant as he desperately tries to free himself from their grip but he’s pinned down by what almost feels like a vice, his arms easily pinned down to his sides as the person pins them there with their knees.
Riki looks up at the familiar gray eyes that are so sinisterly narrowed at him as sharp nails dig into Riki’s arms, feeling like they nearly draw blood and Riki’s body grows frigid at the face he sees looming above him.
“Hyunjin s-stop, let me go, please!” Riki begs desperately, trying to appeal to the guy who he never would have thought would hurt him like this.
Hyunjin only smiles sinisterly at him as he leans his face down closer to Riki’s, “Stop squirming so much, you’ll only make this hurt more.”
“W-What?” Riki sputters out, his mind so clouded with fear at whatever the older has planned.
“You heard me.” Hyunjin says as he opens his mouth and fucking fangs emerge from his canine teeth.
Riki completely freezes, a person who he never thought would hurt him isn’t even a person. They’re a fucking creature Riki never would have even begun to think was real and Hyunjin’s about to fucking drain his blood from his body.
“It’ll only hurt more.” He repeats before leaning down and sinking his teeth deep into Riki’s shoulder.
“AHHH!” Riki screams as he desperately thrashes under Hyunjin, pain blossoming from his shoulder down to his entire body as he feels his flesh tear and blood seep into his jacket and through it onto the forest floor.
“H-Hyunjin, stop! Stop please!” Riki begs as he desperately tries to push the older boy off, yet only feels those fangs tear through more of his flesh when he does.
Riki’s eyes are welling with tears as his head spins and he struggles to keep his eyes open. Only pain and fear course through his every vein as he fears being killed by one of his own classmates who is actually a fucking vampire and dying alone on the cold forest floor so far away from the people he loves.
Riki’s eyes begin slowly slipping shut as he loses his fight, wishing that he could do more yet staying conscious only becomes harder. He feels ready to slip away when suddenly the weight is ripped off of him and he hears the sounds of a struggle.
He’s barely able to move his head yet he sees two tall and well built figures clearly matching the strength of Hyunjin viciously beat him down and hears a voice he could never mistake from one of them.
“You stay the fuck away from him, Hyunjin!”
“Heeseung?” Riki slurs out as he looks at the tallest figure through his half-lidded eyes.
He sees Hyunjin slump to the ground before the tall figure with a head of ash gray hair turns to look at him with the most worry filled eyes before he crashes to his knees in front of him.
Riki blinks almost unseeingly up at the older boy as he struggles to try and stay awake, when a familiar face appears above him— bright and beautiful amber eyes clouded with worry and horror as they look down at him.
“Riki! Holy shit, oh my god. What did he do to you?” The second person mutters in shock as they seem to press something to Riki’s horrible wound, making the boy groan out in pain.
“Don’t hurt him too much, Sunoo.” Heeseung tells the other person quickly and Riki’s brain finally places the two.
Two of the only people he could actually call friends in his school ; two of the boys who have drawn him in from the moment they met who so easily beat down someone Riki couldn’t fight off with almost inhumane speed and strength who are so worriedly staring down at him as he slowly blinks his eyes open and close.
“Try and stay with us, Riki-yah. You’ll be okay.” Heeseung tells him softly, his warm hand cupping Riki’s cheek.
Riki really hopes that he will be but all the adrenaline and energy he had left is seeping out of his body, leaving just in the way his blood seeps into the forest floor. He only hears the panicked voices of Heeseung and Sunoo as everything finally slips away.
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“Is he going to be okay?”
“I’m a healer Jake-hyung, not a magician. I did my best but he lost a lot of blood.” Sunoo’s familiar voice seeps into his ears.
Riki registers that he’s laid down on something soft and there’s a really nice blanket over him. He shifts slightly and pain explodes in his shoulder and that is a stark reminder that everything form earlier was probably not just some insane fucking dream.
He slowly blinks his eyes open and lets out a groan as he takes in his unfamiliar surroundings, a log cabin that he’s certainly never seen before, the only light illuminating the room from the large fire place near the couch he is laying on and six guys who he is actually getting to know pretty well or at least thought he knew somewhat well sitting on the chairs across from him as their eyes are intensely trained on him.
“Hey Riki-san, how are you feeling?” Jake asks him, his voice dripping in concern as he looks at Riki with honey filled eyes.
Riki glances at his shoulder, a large white bandage covering it in, with red splotches decorating it before he looks over at the six older boys.
“Alright I guess… besides wondering what the fuck just happened out there.” Riki says confusedly as he trains his eyes on Sunoo and Heeseung in particular.
“I mean… I’m pretty sure Hyunjin is a fucking vampire and I couldn’t fight him off when he attacked me out of nowhere yet you two did so easily so I have to ask what’s the deal with that.” Riki continues as scans the group in front of him— his brain is telling him that there’s no way that Heeseung and Sunoo at the very least can’t be like Hyunjin. Yet neither of them hurt him and instead they helped him.
He wants to trust these guys because he does ; they’ve all been really, really good to him and at the very least Riki feels like he can trust that they won’t hurt him judging by the fact that they saved him and actually patched him up instead of hurting him as well.
Jungwon shares a look with the group, scanning all of their faces as they all look at the boy with sharp, cat-like eyes and give him collective nods. Jungwon lets out a quiet sigh before standing up off his chair and sitting on the carpet, a little closer to Riki.
Like an almost synchronized move, in such a practiced manner, six mouths open at once and sharp, white fangs hang from them lightly bathed in the fire light of the cabin.
“Well Riki, I guess we have something to tell you…”